Rick Hasen knows this stuff a hell of a lot better...

2008-03-16T14:35:00.000-05:00

Rick Hasen knows this stuff a hell of a lot better than I do, but I think issue #1 is the biggest and most realistic concern.

It's taken Oregon quite some time to get a real mastery of a vote-by-mail system, and they gone through several iterations to get where they are today. While their experience is instructive and will help ease the path in installation for another state, there are always local issues that will crop and may not be fully predictable without empirical data. Except for those who have been voting absentee, this is a very different voting experience for most people.

Issue #2 is one I struggle with. While the potential is clearly greater for voter fraud under a mail-in system (particularly on being hastily installed), I have questions with the likelihood that systemic and organized voter fraud will occur. A re-vote in FL will have massive media attention, and the gotcha journalists that pervade cable news will be salivating over the possibility of catching someone engaged in this type of shenanigans. So while there is a greater likelihood of fraud occurring, will it rise to a level of statistical significance?

#3: This is the area of least concern, IMHO. By successfully forcing a re-vote in MI & in FL, the DNC has stuck to its guns and made the states abide by the rules. This was always an option under the DNC's playbook for this primary season. This establishes precedent for 4 years from now and in the future that those who flaunt the rules will pay a price. This year's race is also a reminder that not being first doesn't mean you will be irrelevent, so there will be less incentive to try and jump to the front of the pack again, especially knowing that there will be consequences.

Comments on The Law and Politics Blog: What Could Go Wrong in Florida?

Rick Hasen knows this stuff a hell of a lot better...